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Blog Smarter.Sun, 01 Mar 2015 17:00:53 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Blog Smarter.The Blog MavennoBlog Smarter.The Blog Mavenhttp://www.theblogmaven.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/blog-smarter.pnghttp://www.theblogmaven.com
How to Simplify Your Blogging Life with Tsh Oxenreiderhttp://www.theblogmaven.com/simplify/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/simplify/#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 03:27:39 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2609Admit it. You’re tired. All those late nights fueled by coffee, churning out blog posts and creating pinnable graphics… They’re just about to do you in. And just when you think you’re just about to get a big break? Along comes another brand new blogger whose stats blow yours out of the water. And you’re […]

All those late nights fueled by coffee, churning out blog posts and creating pinnable graphics… They’re just about to do you in.

And just when you think you’re just about to get a big break? Along comes another brand new blogger whose stats blow yours out of the water.

And you’re starting to wonder, Is this what it’s always going to feel like?

How to the pros do it?

How do they have the energy?

Well, I have a little secret for you:

Not all the pros are running the rat race. In fact, some of them are actually taking life pretty slow, enjoying the ride.

And I’m excited to let you hear about that first-hand from my guest on today’s Blog Maven podcast.

Introducing… Tsh from The Art of Simple

I’m excited to welcome Tsh Oxenreider to The Blog Maven today. Tsh was one of the first bloggers I started reading way back in 2009, and her blog The Art of Simple is a mainstay in the simple living space.

I respect Tsh for several reasons:

She’s one smart cookie. Nothing for Tsh is accidental. She runs a contributor blog and has honed the process to a fine art. She has created systems for every part of her business – from managing multiple contributors (on multiple blogs!) to a rock-solid editorial calendar that guides her posting, month by month throughout the year…every year.

Can I say it?She’s cool. Tsh loves adventure. She and her family are currently in the middle of a full year of traveling the globe. And not only is she doing the trip, she’s also living her message: with only a backpack of goods per person (including her three kids), they’re making the most of life on the road – and blogging the story.

She stays true to her roots. Even after becoming wildly popular, Tsh remains a down-to-earth, generous soul who truly wants her readers to achieve simpler, more intentional, and more meaningful lives.

In this episode, you’ll hear about Tsh’s journey from the early days of her blog (before social media was a thing, y’all), to her glory days as a content-producing powerhouse – and how in 2015 she’s scaling it all back and changing her focus. You’ll also hear:

How social media has changed what it means to be a blogger

The effect of the common advice to “be everywhere” on social media and why Tsh is choosing not to play the game

How “quality content” is changing with readers’ attention spans, and whether your blog posts should be shorter

Why Tsh has stopped publishing 3x per week

How her commitment to simplicity is changing the way Tsh monetizes her blog

The simple rule of thumb you can use to simplify your SEO and Pinterest strategies

Enjoy the show? Thank Tsh on Twitter!

Comments?

What’s the one gold nugget you’re going to take away from my conversation with Tsh? And what are you going to do about it?

For me, it’s that idea of “follow the fun” (a tip of the hat to Lisa-Jo Baker for that one, too). It turns out I’m just not a Facebook kind of gal…so I’m going to stick with Pinterest, my favorite social playground.

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/simplify/feed/75Admit it. - You're tired. - All those late nights fueled by coffee, churning out blog posts and creating pinnable graphics... They're just about to do you in. - And just when you think you're just about to get a big break?Admit it.
You're tired.
All those late nights fueled by coffee, churning out blog posts and creating pinnable graphics... They're just about to do you in.
And just when you think you're just about to get a big break? Along comes another brand new blogger whose stats blow yours out of the water.
And you're starting to wonder, Is this what it's always going to feel like?
How to the pros do it?
How do they have the energy?
Well, I have a little secret for you:
Not all the pros are running the rat race. In fact, some of them are actually taking life pretty slow, enjoying the ride.
And I'm excited to let you hear about that first-hand from my guest on today's Blog Maven podcast.
Introducing... Tsh from The Art of Simple
I'm excited to welcome Tsh Oxenreider to The Blog Maven today. Tsh was one of the first bloggers I started reading way back in 2009, and her blog The Art of Simple is a mainstay in the simple living space.
I respect Tsh for several reasons:
She's one smart cookie. Nothing for Tsh is accidental. She runs a contributor blog and has honed the process to a fine art. She has created systems for every part of her business - from managing multiple contributors (on multiple blogs!) to a rock-solid editorial calendar that guides her posting, month by month throughout the year...every year.
Can I say it? She's cool. Tsh loves adventure. She and her family are currently in the middle of a full year of traveling the globe. And not only is she doing the trip, she's also living her message: with only a backpack of goods per person (including her three kids), they're making the most of life on the road - and blogging the story.
She stays true to her roots. Even after becoming wildly popular, Tsh remains a down-to-earth, generous soul who truly wants her readers to achieve simpler, more intentional, and more meaningful lives.
In this episode, you'll hear about Tsh's journey from the early days of her blog (before social media was a thing, y'all), to her glory days as a content-producing powerhouse - and how in 2015 she's scaling it all back and changing her focus. You'll also hear:
How social media has changed what it means to be a blogger
The effect of the common advice to "be everywhere" on social media and why Tsh is choosing not to play the game
How "quality content" is changing with readers' attention spans, and whether your blog posts should be shorter
Why Tsh has stopped publishing 3x per week
How her commitment to simplicity is changing the way Tsh monetizes her blog
The simple rule of thumb you can use to simplify your SEO and Pinterest strategies
...and lots more!
Listen here
Resources and Links Mentioned in the Show Include:
The Art of Simple blog
Upstream Field Guide, Tsh's new course on living a simpler life
Lisa-Jo Baker
Clearly app for Evernote
Ulysses for Mac
User Role Editor - plugin for managing users' level of access inside a WordPress site
Modern Mrs. Darcy
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
Chatting at the Sky
EntreFamily
Nom Nom Paleo
Tsh's Tiny Letter
Enjoy the show? Thank Tsh on Twitter!
Just click here to say hi and tweet a simple message of thanks to Tsh for sharing her blogging life with us. She's awesome.
Comments?
What's the one gold nugget you're going to take away from my conversation with Tsh? And what are you going to do about it?
For me, it's that idea of "follow the fun" (a tip of the hat to Lisa-Jo Baker for that one, too). It turns out I'm just not a Facebook kind of gal...so I'm going to stick with Pinterest, my favorite social playground.
How about you? Leave a comment below.The Blog Mavenno54:05Want to make a big splash with your blog in 2015? This might change the way you think.http://www.theblogmaven.com/letter/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/letter/#commentsWed, 24 Dec 2014 18:07:42 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2551Do you ever wonder where this whole blogging thing will take you? I know you have dreams. It’s easy to look at that calendar in front of you, with all those blank boxes just waiting to be filled, and hope that something amazing will happen. That you’ll be successful. That your blog will thrive. That […]

It’s easy to look at that calendar in front of you, with all those blank boxes just waiting to be filled, and hope that something amazing will happen.

That you’ll be successful.

That your blog will thrive.

That you’ll make a difference in someone’s life.

These are the same things you hoped for last year, and now at the end of the year you’re barely crossing the finish line, battered and bruised from all the hard work of blogging with your heart open.

And even if you made some money from your blog, you never felt like it was enough – like you had built something for yourself –

like you had arrived.

::

I have to be honest with you:

A lot of blogs were born this year…and a lot of them died.

People showed up every morning, coffee in hand, to battle the blank screen in front of them and write words that would matter.

They brainstormed post ideas, braved the sea of social media, wrote till their fingers bled (proverbially, of course) –

But they listened to all the voices that said they were only worth as much as their page views.

And so they raced and toiled, churning out three posts per week, neglecting their families and their lives, just so they could bow to the Almighty Page View in hopes that a big brand would want to sponsor them, or so more of their readers would click on ads, and somehow it would all be worth it.

People started with passion for spreading their message, but ended up frustrated and tired.

But friend –

I want so much more than that for you.

I want you to powerfully own your business.

I want you to make smart decisions and to be intentional with your time.

I want every blogging seed you plant to grow and bloom into something beautiful and great.

…but I have a little question for you today:

Whose dream are you creating?

Are you waiting for a certain number of page views to be successful?

Are you chained to your desk with too many irons in the fire, wondering if it’s always going to be this hard?

Are you striving and toiling in a frantic push to sell another company’s stuff?

because here’s the deal –

Yes, blogging is hard work.

But

You will either work hard to create your dream, Or you will work hard to create someone else’s.(tweet this)

If you have monetized your blog, then you are either building your tribe, leading your readers, creating things for your own audience,

or you are getting paid to send them somewhere else.

But I have a little secret for you –

(listen closely, because I want good things for you)

You don’t have to be chained to your page views.

You can make money without ads, without sponsorships, without heaps and heaps of traffic.

The secret to your success this year?

Is being an entrepreneur.

People come to your site because they are looking for something. They want to do more, have more, be more.

They love the way you write, the way you teach, the way you live.

They’re looking to you for leadership – for advice on how they can be the people they want to be.

They believe in you.

And you can give them what they need.

::

The path of an entrepreneur just comes down to two things:

Find out what people want.

Give it to them.

And you don’t have to be an “expert” to do it.

Just take what you already do know, wrap it into something you can sell – an ebook-guide-course-webinar-printable-coachingpackage-product-virtual-something-or-other

and deliver it to your people.

They’ll love you for it.

And instead of making pennies per click, you’ll be making dollars.

Dollars you can use to help your family.

Dollars you can use to support your favorite cause.

Dollars you can reinvest in your blog – into your business – to make it everything you want it to be.

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/letter/feed/11710 Things Every Blogger Should Know About Working With Brandshttp://www.theblogmaven.com/bloggers-working-with-brands/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/bloggers-working-with-brands/#commentsWed, 12 Mar 2014 16:06:18 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2220Working with brands is one of the most mainstream ways to make an income through your blog, though – truth be told – it can be intimidating just to get started. There’s so much to know: from how to find a contact in the company you want to work with, to how to craft the […]

]]>Working with brands is one of the most mainstream ways to make an income through your blog, though – truth be told – it can be intimidating just to get started.

There’s so much to know: from how to find a contact in the company you want to work with, to how to craft the perfect pitch, to how to maneuver contracts and agreements, to how to implement your campaign and track the results.

A friend of mine has written a whole book on how to pitch and work with brands, but if you’re on the fence about whether or not working with brands is a good money-making strategy for your blog, here are 10 things you should know before you dive in.

If your first thought is “How much money can I make?” your focus is in the wrong place for this line of work. Focusing instead on how much value you can deliver to the brands you work with will translate to a higher quality service, which – in the long run – will result in you being able to command higher fees.

What brand would want to work with you? A company that feels their product would be well received by your readers. They’re basically paying you to advertise for them and promote their products, but in a way that’s more personal than an ad on TV or one they’d place through AdSense – that’s probably not news to you.

But here’s the key: The more successful you are at proving the value you can provide, the more your campaigns will be worth to your brand partners, and the more you’ll be able to charge in the future.

A coaching client of mine named Emily has a relatively small following. She gets around 800 page views per day and has just upwards of 700 subscribers. At first glance, you’d say, “that’s respectable, but you can’t work with brands with statistics like that.”

Not so.

The fact is, the topic she writes about is urban homesteading – how to make your own basic household products, how to farm on a city lot, how to live as “off-grid” as possible while not having the luxury of living in the country. Emily’s audience is extremely engaged – they ask lots of questions and are looking to her as the source of information for something they’re excited about.

…and as a result of starting her brand partnership program last October, Emily is predictably making about $650/month by working with brands, with plenty of room for growth in the future.

The moral of this story?

The narrower your target niche, the less impressive your statistics have to be to make a splash for a brand. (Tweet this!)

There’s a temptation to get all starry-eyed when you’re approached by a big-name brand like Kellogg’s or Procter & Gamble to promote their products. But there are tons of mid-sized companies – and even mom-and-pop operations! – that you can really make a difference for.

Taking “vanity projects” that aren’t actually a good fit for your readers doesn’t help anyone. Look for opportunities to find a brand that’s an ideal fit for your readers, regardless of the name recognition the company already has. You’ll find that you can work much closer with that company (you may even have access to the person who owns it!) and can be creative in the way you bring value for them and for your readers.

When you say or do something on your blog – or on other social media outlets – how likely are your readers to do something about it?

That’s called engagement.

You can measure engagement any number of ways – comments on your blog, comments on other social media outlets, repins when you pin something on Pinterest, shares when you post something to Facebook, retweets or replies on Twitter…even something as simple as clicks on a link you place on your blog.

When you’re putting together that media kit, if engagement is one of your strong points, play it up! Highlight not just the number of followers, but average number of comments if that’s where you shine, or maybe the great response to a giveaway you’ve done!

Smart brands “get” the value of high engagement on a blog. (Tweet this!)

That said, not all brands are educated enough to see the value of working with a blog with lower overall statistics, but higher engagement. If you feel strongly about the engagement on your blog, don’t be afraid to teach those brands a thing or two.

Do you know what’s at the heart of what you bring to the table when you work with brands?

Trust.

You’ve built your blog to be your readers’ go-to source for information or inspiration on a certain topic. Hopefully you’ve been intentional about building relationships with your readers. And just as you’re more likely to buy an outfit that a friend says “would look so good on you” than you would by just seeing it in a catalog, your readers trust your judgment and bring your suggestions when they’re ready to open their wallets.

That’s why companies will pay you the big bucks to promote their products – because you own space inside your readers’ hearts and minds.

They trust you.

But there’s a huge responsibility that comes with that relationship – if you want to maintain your readers’ trust, you can’t promote products that aren’t a good fit for them. It looks false, and the appearance is that you’re just trying to “make a buck.” And in the long run, everyone loses.

If you want to read a case study about what a healthy Blogger-Brand relationship looks like, check this out.

I’ve already talked about how to make a media kit that rocks and given you 20 media kit examples sent in by my fabulous readers. But I can’t stress this enough – the energy and effort you put into your media kit can either open doors of opportunity for you or slam them in your face.

If you’re just getting started, then sure – go ahead and do it yourself.

But if you want to be competitive and really shine in front of brands, do yourself a favor and invest in a professional design for your media kit.

Enough said.

Many bloggers accept ads in their sidebar and stop there. They’re content to provide $30 worth of value to 10 companies and leave it at that. But in going the “easy route” and just working with sidebar ads, they’re leaving money on the table.

There are lots of different options for types of campaigns you can run: underwritten posts, sponsored posts, giveaways, social media promotion…and believe it or not, casual mentions of a product you honestly love and use in the context of a regular blog post can have the biggest impact of all.

If you want to provide maximum value for your brand partners, be ready to offer different packages that speak to the different levels of service you provide. It will set you apart as an experienced professional, and not as just another “mom blogger” who is content to do the bare minimum to make a buck or two.

If you’re new to working with brands, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of writing a post in exchange for a free pack of diapers, or a $30 gift card to a family restaurant. But be aware that if you’re not charging what the advertising campaign is really worth – both for the benefits the brand will receive AND for your time – you’ll find yourself frustrated, burned out, and deciding it’s not “worth it” in the long run.

Respect your readers (and your own time!) enough to turn down offers that aren’t really a good deal for all the work that’s involved.

Don’t settle for “free” when you can provide REAL value for a REAL fee. (Tweet this!)

There’s an old rule of thumb in marketing that says the average person is exposed to a product seven times before deciding to buy. So instead of settling for one-off advertising agreements (which I’ve just said are often more work than they’re worth), catch the vision for working with brands who are looking for a long-term partner. You’ll be able to provide much more value to them via a long-term relationship than by a single month of advertising, and it will be less overall work (think about the agreements, billing, and even the conversations leading up to your work!).

Over time, you’ll discover that working with more companies doesn’t mean more money. A better long-term strategy is working with a few companies that you can bring higher value for, and get more in return for the work you put in.

When you’re just getting started with brand partnerships, every step in the process can be intimidating. From deciding which brands will be a good match for you, to actually making the pitch, to running the campaign and reporting your results, there are lots of obstacles for a newbie to overcome.

Luckily, there are bloggers who have lots of experience working with brands who are willing to lend a helping hand. If you know an experienced blogger personally, then open up and ask them the hard questions! At the very least, you could buy an hour of consulting time from them and have clear direction for your own brand partnership program.

But if you don’t know anyone that can make it easy to get started, my friend Shannon Acheson has written a book called Bloggers & Brands: The Blogger’s Guide to Pitching and Working with Brands. It’s geared toward beginners who want to learn how to find the right contacts, craft a one-page killer pitch to help you land the job, and even how to navigate contracts and agreements.

Your Turn

Working with brands is such a big topic, 10 things hardly scratch the surface. So now it’s your turn to let me know what to talk about next.

Do me a favor and answer this question in the comments below:

As a blogger, what one burning question do you have about working with brands?

I won’t answer every question in the comments of this post, but I’ll definitely use your questions to help develop more great resources for you in the future.

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/bloggers-working-with-brands/feed/15920 Example Blog Media/Press Kits for Your Inspirationhttp://www.theblogmaven.com/media-kit-examples/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/media-kit-examples/#commentsMon, 06 Jan 2014 05:08:04 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2065Hands down, one of my most helpful articles for bloggers who want to connect with brands is How to Make a Media Kit that ROCKS. In it, I outline 10 easy steps to creating a media kit that will help you shine with potential brand partners and sponsors for your blog. But as popular as […]

]]>Hands down, one of my most helpful articles for bloggers who want to connect with brands is How to Make a Media Kit that ROCKS. In it, I outline 10 easy steps to creating a media kit that will help you shine with potential brand partners and sponsors for your blog.

But as popular as this post is, there was one crucial thing missing:

Examples.

A few weeks ago I sent out the all-call to my mailing list, asking my readers if they’d be willing to share their media kits to help great bloggers like you. And do you know what? They DID.

(I *love* my readers.)

Ready to make your own media kit? To get a FREE PDF version of my “How to Make a Media Kit that ROCKS” guide PLUS a helpful checklist to guide you through the process of creating your own media kit, just click here.

So!

Without further ado, here are some great example blog media kits that will get you on the right foot for creating a media kit of your own:

19. Destination Wedding Details, Cynthia M.

20. Amongst Lovely Things, Sarah Mackenzie

Still Here? Great! I have a question for you…

What elements from these media kits make them truly stand out to you? Think about this as a potential brand/sponsor. What is the #1 thing (besides statistics) that would convince you to work with a blogger, based on their media kit?

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/media-kit-examples/feed/159How to Stop Throwing Away Your Blog Traffic and Get More Subscribershttp://www.theblogmaven.com/get-more-blog-subscribers/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/get-more-blog-subscribers/#commentsMon, 02 Dec 2013 04:44:33 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2023If you’ve been struggling to build your subscriber list – despite focusing on serving the needs of one specific reader – despite asking the #1 question that will gain you a loyal following – despite dishing out the best content you can… You’re probably making a mistake that is going to cripple your ability to […]

You’re probably making a mistake that is going to cripple your ability to grow your subscriber list.

Let me back up.

Every time you show your reader a link, you’re inviting her to leave the page she’s currently reading to follow that link. You know that, right?

If you’ve read my post on how to convert Pinterest visitors to subscribers, you know it’s important to prioritize what’s in your sidebar and to get rid of anything that would prevent people from subscribing to your blog. So if you’re like my standard reader, you’ll ditch the blog awards, toss the blogroll, and cut down on your ads to the ones that are truly making you some money.

But you’ve probably overlooked the one thing that’s even worse for your subscriber numbers, innocently thinking that it’s helping you.

Can’t guess?

::

It’s Facebook.

Or maybe it’s Twitter.

It’s whichever little button that convinces your reader not to enter her email address to get on your mailing list, but to follow you elsewhere in social media instead. What’s wrong with this, you ask?

You can’t control Facebook.

You might sit down and write the best blog post of your life and then run to your blog’s Facebook page and post it, sending out the news to your 1,500 devoted Facebook followers…and only 132 of them will ever see it.

Or you may tweet that post to 540 people, but only 36 of them happen to be online when you send your tweet. Talk about missed opportunity.

Forget all the hype about “When is the best time to post on social media?” and think about this: If someone agrees to let you communicate with them via email, it’s money in the bank. They don’t have to be part of the magic minority Facebook chooses to notify. If they don’t happen to be online when you send it, it will wait for them.

Get those social media buttons off your blog and give people one way to subscribe: via email.

And social media itself? Don’t ditch it altogether – but if you know your audience likes to hang out on Twitter or read Facebook updates, then promote your social media accounts through your mailing list.

That way you’ll know that everyone who comes to your blog and wants to connect with you on a deeper level is on your mailing list first.

Actionable:

Get rid of your social media buttons. Seriously. If you’re not comfortable with making that move permanently, then at least drag them to the Inactive Widgets area in WordPress, put them in the footer of your site, or keep a text file with the code in a safe spot on your computer.

Your list will thank you.

So what do you think?

If you’ve never thought about ditching your social media buttons before, I’m sure you have an opinion here – and I’d love to hear it.

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/get-more-blog-subscribers/feed/149The #1 Question You Should Be Asking Your Blog Readershttp://www.theblogmaven.com/question-to-ask-blog-readers/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/question-to-ask-blog-readers/#commentsSat, 30 Nov 2013 06:06:36 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2014When I was in college, I had a professor who was fresh out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (better known as MIT) and in his first year of teaching. He was a brilliant linguist – a genius if ever there was one – but his first semester teaching undergrads at B.U. wasn’t going so […]

]]>When I was in college, I had a professor who was fresh out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (better known as MIT) and in his first year of teaching. He was a brilliant linguist – a genius if ever there was one – but his first semester teaching undergrads at B.U. wasn’t going so hot.

Did you ever meet someone who was so smart that they couldn’t connect with other people? Well, for about six weeks, the other students and I had this professor pegged as that guy.

We struggled and wrestled with the course material, wading through stacks of academic articles for which we simply had no context. We weren’t connecting the dots. It was clear our professor knew everything there was to know about what he was teaching, but we were all just missing the point.

I stayed up late nights reading, met with classmates at the library, and even skipped an ultimate frisbee tournament to try to wrap my head around everything I was supposed to know. I thought I was doomed to fail a class in my major, in a subject I loved.

But right after midterms, Paul did something we didn’t expect.

He asked us what we were struggling with.

::

Have you ever taken off your blogging cap and asked whether you were really helping your readers? Whether you’re making a difference in their lives and not just hitting “publish” three times a week because that’s what good bloggers do? (tweet this!)

I can’t remember exactly what our issues were at the time, but I do remember that from that point on in that class, everything changed. He started giving a different kind of lecture, one that started with questions and ended with all of us students arriving at new understanding.

Where Paul had been almost an adversary – something we’d have to overcome if we wanted to get a decent grade for the class – he became our coach and advisor, helping bridge the gap between what we didn’t already know and what we needed to master. He became my favorite professor, and I’m sure I told more than a few people to take classes from him.

What does this mean for you, Blogger?

I’ve already touched on writing for that one ideal reader, focusing on helping that person overcome challenges, solve problems, think differently, or be inspired. But if you’re somehow missing the mark, if people are coming to your site and leaving without so much as a comment, then you need to ask the right questions.

Even if you only have a handful of subscribers so far, what made them subscribe to your blog? What was the thing that caught their eye? Why did they decide that instead of just reading the content they came for and leaving, they should agree to hear from you more often and become part of your community? What are the things you’re doing well, and which of their problems have you not solved yet?

(but Jeni, you said just the #1 question!)

I did, and here it is:

What do your readers struggle with, and how can you add value to their lives?

If you’re smart, you’ll use the answers to all of these questions to plan your next steps on your blog – at the very least, what posts you need to write to really help your existing readers. But this process will help you do something even more powerful than getting to know the people who already read your blog – it will help you step up your game and blog better for your target audience as a whole.

And having a better blog, friend, will help you connect with new audiences, with more subscribers and a growing community that is passionate about sharing your work with others.

So tell me:

What questions are you going to ask today? How are you going to ask them?

What are you going to do once you have the answers?

Share this post, then leave me a comment below and tell me how you’re going to start (or keep!) connecting with the readers who need you.

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/question-to-ask-blog-readers/feed/29The Great Content Hoax: Why Just Blogging Your Passion Won’t Build You an Empirehttp://www.theblogmaven.com/great-content-hoax/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/great-content-hoax/#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 23:47:35 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=2000Does this sound like you or someone you know? “I’ve been writing on my blog for a year now and only have 32 followers. …and 14 of them are my family.” “I write on my blog 3x a week but people who find my blog don’t stay!” “Why does nobody leave a comment on my […]

“I’ve been writing on my blog for a year now and only have 32 followers. …and 14 of them are my family.”

“I write on my blog 3x a week but people who find my blog don’t stay!”

“Why does nobody leave a comment on my blog? It’s like a ghost town around here!”

::

It’s true that blogging can help you make money, build an online community, and grow a base of fans who can’t wait to hear the brilliant things you have to say.

It’s also true that most of us fail dismally at growing our blogs.

If you feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle, I have good news for you: over the next three posts, I’m going to share with you three strategies I used to grow my own mailing list, and to go from square one to a vibrant community full of engaged readers in just three months.

So let’s jump right in and learn about…

What Other Bloggers Will Tell You

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the advice,

“Just blog about what you love!”

-or-

“If you have enough passion, people will see that and want to be part of your community!”

I agree that you don’t want to be blogging about topics that don’t excite you, but…

“Blog Your Passion” is only a Half-Truth

If you’ve been blogging for any length of time, you know there’s more to that story.

When most people start their blogs, they have a million ideas. They pick a topic that they could talk about forever; making a list of posts to write is as simple as sitting down and asking, “What do I know that I want to share?”

They think that if they just write good posts about what they know, they’ll be successful.

While this isn’t the world’s worst way of starting a blog, it’s a great way to end up with 400 posts and only 60 regular readers.

Why?

You’re going about it backwards.

The problem with dwelling on what you know is that you may put a lot of information out there through your blog, but may never reach the person who will be most passionate about sharing your posts, retweeting your ideas, and spreading your message.

Need an example?

Let’s say you’re a fitness guru who loves to lift weights, eat raw veggies, and deny yourself sweets and other fun stuff. Know what? That could describe thousands of fitness bloggers. But you assume that because you have great photos of different workout techniques and describe new workout plans that “really get results,” you’re going to stand out from the crowd?

Now let’s think about Liz, your potential reader, a 37-year-old single mom who works nights as a nurse at the local hospital. She already knows she needs to eat more veggies, lift some weights occasionally, and cut out the junk food (who doesn’t?). Her problem isn’t not knowing what to do – it’s finding the motivation (and the time!) to live a healthier lifestyle.

If you stick to your guns and blog only about the mechanics of working out, you’ve already lost Liz. She might follow a link to your blog one time, but she’s certainly not going to stick around.

But the day she finds someone who is talking about her problem and helps her overcome the challenges she’s facing, she’s going to be that blogger’s number one fan.

And then she’s going to tell all her friends.

If your blog is going to be successful, you need to be helping someone. Inspiring someone to think differently and act differently. Making someone’s life better. (tweet this!)

Get Focused

Ask yourself this question: If you could have 100 new subscribers today, but they all had to be a clone of one of your existing readers, who would that reader be?

The best way to find that existing reader is to identify who is the most generous about sharing your content, gives you praise and thanks, refers their personal friends to your site, buys your e-books, and whom you love to see in the comments.

Once you have identified this reader, ask yourself what they come to your blog looking for, what specific problems they need to solve, what they’re passionate about, what their own goals are and what value YOU offer the relationship.

Don’t worry, I’ll wait…

::

Now visit your blog and read all of the pages, your last 10 posts, view all of the images and work your way through the site with your number one reader in mind. I want you to imagine that this blog has been built specifically for just that one person.

Ask yourself these questions:

Do the stories on the blog resonate with her?

Are the images engaging to look at?

Is she able to connect with a real person that’s behind the blog?

Is the information relevant and interesting?

Your blog should be built for your number one reader and nobody else. This is usually difficult to execute because we are afraid of potentially losing other readers that might come through, but listen:

When you strike a chord with that one person – when you solve her problem, when you make her life better – she will share your content, tell her friends, promote your products, and keep telling your story long after your other site visitors have moved on to the next Pinterest pin.

…and the good news is, if there’s one “Liz” out there for you, there are thousands.

So tell me:

Whose life are you going to change? Tell me about your ideal reader and what you’re doing to serve their needs. Or what changes are you going to make on your blog to find that one person?

Share this post on Pinterest (thanks!), and then leave a comment below.

Because I’m in this for you.

NEW! 5 Things You Can Fix On Your Blog NEXT WEEK to Get More Subscribers Want to get my new e-book with my most helpful advice for growing your subscriber list? To get your FREE copy, just click here.

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/great-content-hoax/feed/132How to Feature Your Most Pinterest-Worthy Posts in Your Sidebarhttp://www.theblogmaven.com/pinterest-pins-in-sidebar/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/pinterest-pins-in-sidebar/#commentsThu, 20 Jun 2013 05:33:11 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=1626If your blog has ever had a red-letter day on Pinterest with tons of people clicking over to see one of your posts, you were probably surprised at how finicky those visitors can be. (can I get an Amen?) It seems like people who visit from Pinterest just want to pop in to see what they […]

]]>If your blog has ever had a red-letter day on Pinterest with tons of people clicking over to see one of your posts, you were probably surprised at how finicky those visitors can be. (can I get an Amen?)

It seems like people who visit from Pinterest just want to pop in to see what they came for, repin your post if they like it, and then never come back again. You can feel good about the popularity of that one post, but what about the life of your blog as a whole?Do these people ever stick around and become loyal readers?

But good organization is only part of the story. Remember: you have a limited amount of time to capture a new visitor’s attention. You have to make it count.

What if I told you that you can use your past successes with Pinterest to engage your new blog visitors?And that there’s a way to feature your older (forgotten?) posts and give them new life by just placing an image with a Pin It button in a certain spot?

Would you take just 10 minutes to do it?

Because 10 minutes is all it takes.

In this video, I’ll show you how to add those Pin-worthy posts to your sidebar, inviting your blog’s visitors to browse around and share more of your posts on Pinterest.

Update: Since I wrote this post a few weeks ago, the author of my favorite Pinterest plugin has come up with an awesome new plugin that will create sidebar featured pins automatically. It’s a huge time saver with a bunch of extra features to draw more traffic to your site. I can’t wait to see what Chris comes up with next!

Here’s what you’ll need:

An image that goes with one of your popular-ish posts, especially one that’s been shared lots of times on Pinterest. (…and no, it doesn’t have to be thousands of times. 20 pins means people like your post!)

How to Feature a Pinterest Image from Your Blog

Note: Don’t forget to adjust the video’s image quality so you can see things better! Just click on the little “gear” symbol at the bottom of the video player and select 720px, or the HD (high definition) option.

Video Notes

To see the most recent posts that have been pinned from your blog, go to:

***If you’re already running a Pinterest plugin in WordPress, you may not need to add the javascript to your blog. Try doing this without the javascript added to your theme, and if the Pin It button isn’t displaying the number of pins, go ahead and add the javascript.

If your blog runs on the Genesis Framework (the most awesome of all WordPress themes, IMHO), you can add the snippet of Javascript by going to Genesis > Theme Settings and scrolling to the bottom.

If your blog runs on Thesis (for older versions, at least), you can add the Javascript by going to Thesis > Site Options > Stats Software/Scripts.

To add multiple instances of these images in your sidebar, you can just paste the code again into the same text widget…although obviously, you’ll be plugging different information into the HTML for the different images.

I’ve been a little under the weather this week and probably should have waited until my head (and my brain!) was cleared up before shooting this video. So…sorry.

The Code

Add this whole block of code to a text widget, and then fill in the proper spots (noted in CAPS) with your own information. Make sure you leave the quotation marks in the code!

Don’t want to re-watch the whole video?

Here’s a Quick Recap of the Steps:

Step 1: Open up a text widget in your sidebar; cut and paste the HTML code (above) into it. Hit SAVE.

Step 2: Upload an image to your blog that’s the same width as your sidebar. Copy the URL of the image and paste it into the “img src” spot in the text widget code.

Step 3: Locate the post you want the image to take people to. Copy the URL of the post and add it to the “a href” spot in the text widget code. Hit SAVE.

Step 4: Check that the image is now appearing in your sidebar.

Step 5: Go to the Pinterest Widget Builder(formerly called the “goodies page”) and create a “Pin It Button for Websites.”

Step 6: Add the javascript snippet from the Goodies page to your blog, if necessary(see the starred text in the Video Notes, above).

Step 7: Paste the Pin It Button code (from the Goodies page) into the text widget on your blog, in the appropriate spot. Hit SAVE.

Step 8: Go back out to your blog and check out the awesome bling on your sidebar!

That’s It!

If you have anything to add, share, or ask, feel free to leave me a note in the comments space below. I’d love to hear from you!

Also, leave me a comment once you’ve done this on your blog and I’ll come give you a high five!

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/pinterest-pins-in-sidebar/feed/258How to Verify Your Blog (or Website) on Pinteresthttp://www.theblogmaven.com/verify-blog-on-pinterest/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/verify-blog-on-pinterest/#commentsSun, 24 Feb 2013 22:20:31 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=1820Earlier in my series on Growing Your Blog with Pinterest, I recommended that in order to get more incoming traffic to your blog from Pinterest, you should optimize your Pinterest profile. Remember: the point of that was to provide an interesting blurb about you that makes new readers want to check out your blog. At […]

Remember: the point of that was to provide an interesting blurb about you that makes new readers want to check out your blog.

At the time I wrote that post, adding the URL to your blog would add a cute little “globe” to your profile, which linked out to your blog:

Thankfully, Pinterest now has a better option for us.

If you have just five minutes (okay, ten minutes if you have to install an FTP client on your computer), you can get some new bling for your blog: the full URL, written out under your profile, that is a more obvious link to your home on the web.

Take a look:

In case you’re not convinced that it’s worth those five minutes, I checked out my Analytics stats this morning and since I verified my blog with Pinterest 24 hours ago, I’ve had eight (8) new visitors to my site from my profile. For a huge blog, this might be just a drop in the bucket…but for others who are just getting started, 8 new visitors each day could be huge.

Ready to do this?

This tutorial video applies to people who are blogging on self-hosted WordPress, where you have access to all your files. If you’re on Blogger, check out this tutorial, and wordpress.com (not self-hosted WordPress) users can verify their blogs by following these instructions.

How to Verify Your Blog on Pinterest

Note: Don’t forget to adjust the video’s image quality so you can see things better! Just click on the little “gear” symbol at the bottom of the video player and select 720px, or the HD (high definition) option.

Do you know a blogger who would benefit from this video?

]]>http://www.theblogmaven.com/verify-blog-on-pinterest/feed/11612 Best Time Management Tips for Bloggershttp://www.theblogmaven.com/time-management/
http://www.theblogmaven.com/time-management/#commentsThu, 03 Jan 2013 06:45:17 +0000http://www.theblogmaven.com/?p=1711Have you ever looked at the pile of dishes in the sink, the paw prints on the floor, and your ever-growing mountain of laundry and thought to yourself, “How will I ever find the time to blog?!” Sure, there are people who are professional bloggers, who lock themselves away all day and do nothing but […]

]]>Have you ever looked at the pile of dishes in the sink, the paw prints on the floor, and your ever-growing mountain of laundry and thought to yourself,

“How will I ever find the time to blog?!”

Sure, there are people who are professional bloggers, who lock themselves away all day and do nothing but write and promote their latest posts. But if you have a hard time relating to those bloggers – if you have a day job? – you’re not alone.

Most of us have precious few hours each week to devote to blogging – and the overwhelming majority of emails I receive from my readers say it’s a big cause for frustration. How can you keep up with your blog, but not neglect the rest of your life?

Well.

Here are a dozen “best practices” I enacted in 2012 that have made a world of difference for me and my blog.

When you have specific goals in mind as you approach your blog each day or week, you’ll be able to cut out unnecessary things that won’t help you achieve your goals.

Either way, you can judge what you’re currently doing by whether it helps you achieve your goals, and quit wasting time on things that don’t.

So just do it: Write out 5 goals for your blog this year and post them nearby where you write. Refer to them often.

Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

::

I don’t sit down and have official brainstorming sessions. My best ideas come to me while driving to the grocery store or doing the dishes. For me, it’s enough to have a notepad handy and keep that running list of post ideas going so that when it’s time to sit down and write, there’s never a moment without actual post writing happening. If I only have 30 minutes to write each day (or each week!), I’d better make it count.

(By the way – have you seen this post on how to take notes in the shower? Brilliant!)

I read a life-changing blog post a few months ago about not checking email in the evenings or on weekends. And honey, this one hit home.

I’m a proud mom to three preschool age children who works nearly full-time as a blog designer. If the kids are otherwise occupied with outside play, naps, Legos, or are in bed at night, I’m on the computer. I get design inquiries, fan mail, hate mail, Facebook notifications, Twitter notifications, Google Calendar reminders, communication from clients, order confirmations from Amazon, and a host of other email that adds up to about 80 email messages every day. Add in my undiagnosed ADD issues and you’ve got a big, distracted mess.

After reading Tim Ferriss’s article, I’ve been able to successfully turn things around and make the most of my blogging time. Naturally, there are about 20 life priorities for me that come in ahead of blogging, but when it’s time for me to blog, I’ve learned to shut off ALL distractions – especially email! – and just write.

It’s not just good for developing your blogging voice; writing with your ideal reader in mind helps keep your writing sessions on track. Once you’re not fishing around for “how you should write” anymore, you’ll be saving time by approaching each blog post with purpose and focus, and you won’t waste valuable time by second guessing your writing style when the most important thing is creating your post.

I don’t know about you, but the hardest thing about writing my blog posts is getting started. Crafting that opening paragraph – that “engage them or lose them” introduction part – is tough.

A tip I picked up from Rachel Meeks’s popular e-book Simple Blogging (unfortunately, no longer in print) is to write your first draft without hitting the Delete key. Just keep forging ahead in your blog post, knowing that you’ll be revisiting it to clean things up and make things sound great later. This way, all your writing time is productive time, and you won’t experience writer’s block when you’re just getting warmed up.

This can mean different things for different people. If you’re a small- to mid-sized blogger without lots of pressure from blog sponsors or needy readers, you have the luxury of writing on your terms.

For beginning bloggers, I recommend writing for 30 minutes per day. That’s it. Just sit down (without checking your email!), open up a new post or a saved draft, and write until 30 minutes is up. If you feel really excited about what you’re writing and want to keep going, then do! But if the inspiration just isn’t there, then go grab a snack and get on with the rest of your day. The important thing is to write as a discipline and to develop your style, while not driving relentlessly toward a certain number of posts per week. People burn out on blogging that way.

Seriously.

If you’re focused on “three-posts-per-week-or-else,” not only will the quality of your blog posts suffer; your blog will start to interfere with your real life. Ask me how I know.

Not everyone takes the relaxed approach to blogging that I do. If the goals you’ve set for your blog include a certain number of readers in a certain amount of time, it does make sense to churn out 3-4 posts per week. After all, statistically speaking, the more frequently you post, the faster your readership will grow…to a point. Just make sure your quality isn’t suffering as you crank out all that new material!

In this type of situation, an editorial calendar does makes sense. Take that list of post ideas you had and commit it to a calendar. Write down which blog posts you plan to publish – and when – and this will help keep you on target with your writing.

Tip: Some people use online services like Evernote to organize their notes. Me? I’m a pen-and-paper gal. But I do make good use of Pinterest – not only to promote other people’s great content – but also to keep track of other people’s blog posts that start my wheels turning. Pinterest’s new private boards are an awesome way to file away great articles that will be an inspiration for your writing when you need it.

Promoting your blog posts can be a virtual black hole that sucks up all your time. Automate the basic promotional things like posting your new posts to Facebook or scheduling your tweets for your new posts (check out Networked Blogs, HootSuite, or HubSpot). But definitely don’t feel like you have to go crazy with social media!

If you have to choose between engaging people on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Whateverelse and writing for your blog, choose the blog. The reach of your own social promotion is limited – in fact, the best, most effective type of social networking happens when other people promote your content for you! So focus on creating quality content that others will want to share. You’ll end up with something that’s far more lasting: great blog posts that can engage new readers over and over again.

And if you’re using blog commenting as a strategy for getting new readers, choose 10 (or so) blogs where you feel this is working effectively for you and stick with them. Become an active member of those communities and take the time to leave insightful, helpful or engaging comments. It’s fine to read some blogs “just for fun,” but don’t mix this in with your blog’s readership building time. Keep business and personal reading time separate so you can manage your time well.

There are reasons to check on how many – and how – people are interacting with your blog…but not every day, or even every week. It’s especially hard for new bloggers not to get their self worth tied up in how many people are reading their posts. But not only is this unhealthy; it’s a waste of time.

Set a date for once a month to peruse your stats and find out which posts from the past 30 days have been the most popular, and where your readers are coming from. Just one time each month will give you enough information to help direct your next blogging steps; more than that can interfere with your blogging life…not to mention your real life!

If there are elements of blogging that are eating away at your life, then quit wasting time! Just as everyone isn’t a plumber or a brain surgeon, not everyone as skills in blog design, technical troubleshooting, or copy editing. We live in a culture that glorifies the “self-made man” or the “renaissance woman” who seems to do it all. But if you can afford to outsource the things that cause you stress or that simply lie outside your skill set, then do! You’re not only supporting an individual (or a family) who can provide a valuable service – you’re saving time for yourself that can be applied to doing things you’re good at – or just to taking a much-needed break!

There will always be people who want your money, your time, or your energies to help promote their own projects. Offers of guest blogging that can initially be very flattering can wind up taking all your time and eating into other (more important!) areas of your life. I recently turned down an opportunity to speak at a popular blogging conference about using Pinterest to grow your blog. Sure, I initially got all starry-eyed at the invitation, but after some serious thought, I realized it would mean not just a weekend away from my family, but hours and hours of preparation for the event that I – frankly – don’t have.

But “no” doesn’t have to be that dramatic, even. If you really only have time for one post each week, then so be it! There’s no firing squad ready to assassinate bloggers who don’t live up to impossible-for-them standards.

Saying “No” now doesn’t mean never. It just acknowledges that there are different seasons to life, and perhaps opportunities that aren’t possible now will be realistic ones…later.

Listen, there’s only so much content that one person can churn out – week after week, month after month. If you have even a few hundred followers, you probably have folks who would love to share their best ideas with your readers. So put out the A.P.B. and ask for proposals or submissions for a regular feature on your blog. You’ll gain the freedom to focus on making your own work better while exchanging blog traffic (and hopefully growing your readership!) at the same time.

This may seem counter-intuitive, but any time you devote to promoting other people’s blogs is time well spent.

Blogging is a wonderful world of participating, discussing, promoting, teaching, learning, and sharing. If you spend all your time on your own blog, you’re missing out on being part of a community of bloggers who support each other. There is a lot of reciprocity to blogging, and when you become known as a person who promotes others, others will be attracted to you, to your platform (your blog!), and to your community.

Make sure that when working out a strategy to maintain or grow your blog, you budget some regular time for extending a hand to other bloggers as well.

::

As we set out on the first day of the rest of our blogging careers, let’s try to blog intentionally, generously, and wisely to make the most of the time we’re given.

If you have new resolutions for your blog – or for your time! – I’d love to hear about them. And if you have any tips I didn’t mention, I’d love to learn from you. Just leave a comment and let’s connect.

::

Resources/Further Reading

One Bite at a Time – A bite-sized approach to organizing and simplifying your home and your life: one project per week. I read this in January 2012 and it was a game changer in a stressful season in my life.

Simplify – A teeny, tiny e-book that will convince you to downsize other areas in your life. A truly motivational read.

Tell Your Time – A super quick read for time management beginners: setting goals, determining steps, and developing a schedule. Easy to implement.